This practice combines yoga asana (postures) and pranayama (breath) with the body’s natural, therapeutic shaking response. This shaking response in humans, much the same as the instinctual shaking in animals, is the nervous system’s way of discharging long-held tension and trauma, or unconscious muscle contraction in order to restore the body to wholeness.

When the nervous system identifies threat, vibration or shaking in the body is designed to occur automatically. However, negative social constructs and beliefs around what it means to allow ourselves to shake, tremor, or show vulnerability, condition us out of this innate release mechanism at a very early age. Neurogenic Yoga reawakens our body’s intrinsic release mechanism for optimal health.

Neurogenic Yoga is a simple, gentle and profound practice that facilities the lengthening and relaxation of the psoas muscle and the release of physical and emotional stress and tension. During a Neurogenic Yoga™ practice, we safely self induce therapeutic vibration using yoga postures and breath. Often vibration begins in the legs and may spread throughout the entire body. This method is based on Dr. David Berceli’s technique of
Trauma Releasing Exercises ® (TRE®).

Reported benefits include:

Release of chronic tension and increase of energy and stamina

Discharge of buried emotional and physical trauma

Freedom from symptoms of sciatica and fibromyalgia

Decrease of aches and pains

Improved sleep

Improved circulation

Improved mood

Improved sense of feeling grounded and focused

Improved flexibility

Who can benfit from Neurogenic Yoga?

If you have ever gotten up to speak in front of an audience and gotten “knocking knees”, been in a car accident and found yourself shaking afterwards, or found yourself angry and had shaking in your belly or other body parts, then you have experienced this type of vibration.

Since this shaking mechanism in the muscles is part of our natural behavior as humans, everyone can benefit. These self-induced therapeutic tremors increase the resiliency of the body because they cause deep relaxation that naturally reduces stress levels and muscle contraction. These vibrations can release emotions ranging from mild upset to severe anxiety whether it is caused by work stress, excessive worry, conflict in relationships, physical stresses, or traumas from accidents.

Additionally, tremoring has been reported to reduce and eliminate pain, increases mobility, and aid healing of recent and past injuries.

Whether you are a parent/spouse who would like more patience with your family, a survivor of violence or an accident, a soldier suffering with PTSD, or simply someone who wants to become more resilient and healthier, you can benefit from Neurogenic Yoga.